A key new regulation that is part of the IPL’s new season has the potential to have a big impact on the outcomes of the games and, ultimately, the competition as a whole.
The start of a new Indian Premier League (IPL) season is always accompanied by a certain amount of anticipation and apprehension about how the players in each team will fare, especially the newcomers, regardless of whether they are taking part in the league for the first time or have simply switched sides and will now wear different colours. The more well-known a player is, the more attention is paid to them; for instance, the Rajasthan Royals chose England Test batting legend Joe Root, who has yet to appear in an IPL game.
Fans won’t be surprised by the air of intrigue about other potential new components of the league, either. Last year, it was the emergence of two new teams, the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Super Giants, one of which went on to win the league championship. This season’s implementation of a new rule, particularly in the Indian subcontinent, has the potential to profoundly alter how teams approach T20 matches.
Impact Players: What Are They?
The captain is required by rule to carry two team papers while entering the pitch for the toss. The captains will choose which one they want to go with after the toss rather than trading sheets beforehand, allowing them to select their squad based on whether they will bat first or bowl first. The captain can now identify up to five subs, one of whom will be designated as the Impact Player and be permitted to play in the game, as opposed to the previous requirement that they only name a 12th man on the squad sheet.
When is it possible to use the Impact Player?
The player may be added during pauses in play in the first or second innings of the game, which could occur at the conclusion of an over, following the fall of a wicket, or at the beginning of an innings. The umpires must make a cross gesture with both hands over their heads when captains decide to go for an Impact Player. The Impact Player must be substituted in for another player, and once that is done, the player who has been taken off can no longer participate in the match. While there have been discussions about cricket becoming a 12 vs 12 game as a result of this rule, this won’t actually happen.
Who might be the Impact Player?
Teams are not allowed to use the Impact Player to get around the restriction on the number of foreign players they can use in a match. If a team is already using four foreign players, the Impact Player must be an Indian. Yet, if that’s not the case, a foreigner may be an Impact player.
How might the rule impact tactical planning?
The main goal of enacting this rule is to counteract the excessive influence of dew, which frequently results in chasing teams winning games in evening matches at numerous Indian locations. A team can select the team sheet in which they have an opening batsman if they are given the responsibility of doing so.
In order to deploy a seasoned international star as their Impact Player rather than a younger domestic player, teams may start choosing to play just three foreign players more frequently now. However, it should be emphasised that Impact Player was used more as “damage control” than as a tactical instrument, according to numerous franchise coaches and talent scouts who watched the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy live.
similar regulations in other competitions
The rule is comparable to the X-Factor rule that is used in the Big Bash League of Australia, and as was already mentioned, a variation of it was used in the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Cup. The X-Factor rule differs from other rules in that it
Related Topic : 👇🏾